Boat mooring assist apparatus

Boat docking apparatus for assisting in mooring of a boat in parallel relationship to a dock, the boat having a side rail supported in elevated relationship above the boat's deck structure and extending a distance adjacent the boat's side at its bow section, said apparatus comprising

• A. an elongated strut adapted to extend a distance laterally outward from the dock in a substantially horizontal plane at an elevation above the surface of the body of water in which the boat is being operated and be positioned a predetermined distance above the boat's rail, said strut having first and second ends;
• B. a strut support assembly adapted to be mounted on a support element secured to the dock, said strut having its first end secured to said support assembly in laterally extending relationship thereto and projecting over the water;
• and
• C. a hook carried by said strut at its second end for removable engagement with the boat's rail to thereby enable said apparatus to restrict movement of the boat's bow away from the dock to a limited distance, said hook having an elongated, substantially straight shank with first and second ends, said shank's first end secured to said strut at it's second end by means maintaining said shank in spaced relationship to said second end and it's second end terminating in a U-shaped loop having a leg disposed in spaced relationship to the opposite portion at a sufficient distance to enable the boat's rail to pass through the loop's open end and be retained in the loop, said leg extending a short distance relative to the shank, said shank's first end being pivotally connected to the second end of said strut with the hook normally disposed in a downwardly extending relationship thereto, said hook being oriented with its shank and leg disposed in a plane extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said strut with the leg adjacent the strut.